Who Was The Most Influential?

Reading H2O Mellon's thread, "Thanks for the Time" got me thinking!
When I was a kid we lived in the country a long way from town. Dad was in the Navy and away at sea for months at a time and my mom was deseased. I entertained myself outdoors with fishing, bike riding, tree climbing, Ice Skating, etc. A couple miles down the road was a farm owned by a tall skinny guy we all called "Old Man Hagen". On his farm was a pond that was full of Bullheads. That's where I spent a lot of my time. Mr. Hagen, I found out one day used to drive 10-12 miles into town and fish below a small dam, catch the Bullheads and bring them back to stock his pond. I've caught hundreds of fish out of that pond. In the winter the pond would freeze and my friends and neighbors would ice skate, sometimes all night, on it. Before we could go on it , Mr. Hagen would get his old Flatbed truck and drive it out on the pond to make sure it was safe. A couple times it fell thru and I remember Mr. Hagen climbing out and walking to the bank, (the pond was only about 4' deep), getting his tractor and pulling the truck out. Then He'd tell us, "Can't skate yet boys."
I used to get tangles in my fishing reel and my fishing would be over until I could get to town and get some more line after cutting it all off. One day Mr. Hagen saw me doing that and stopped me. I sat quitely next to him while he untangled a "Birds Nest" I thought was hopeless, and before long my bobber was dancing again. I couldn't believe how patient he was about it.
On a hot summer day he saw me in the field turning over rocks looking for bait. There were no worms to be found! He took me to the barn, went into the loft and brushed the wasps off a nest, took it down and showed me how to get the larvea out and put them on my hook. Before long I was back in the catfish business! He would also use spiders he found around the barn; a trick I still won't use, and catch fish on them.
Other then relatives, Mr. Hagen was one of the most influential people in my life. I learned a lot from him about fishing, milking cows, animals in general, and life in general. Other then family members, who was the most influentail person in your life?

I was fortunate, my parents and gparents were here for most of my life. other than them I was blessed with many people in the sm town I came from, to choose one would overlook others. one memory was ol hucksy (Mr Hucks), he was partially crippled (hunchbacked) but made a livin drivin(backin) trailers onto railroad cars, my cousins came into town (bout 4 or yr ol) and they wandered off. as I searched for them I came by his house, didn't really know him but when I explained what I was doin, he dropped what he was doin and drove me around till we found them. I don't know why that memory poped up. I was about 6 when it happened.

This may sound kind of strange but the person who got me into fishing probably never fished. He ran the drug store in the town I grew up in and when the magazines dates were up and new ones put up he would give me the old ones and many were sports magazines like, Sports Afield, Outdoor Life, and Field & Stream. I was probably around 6 at the time and loved to read. Where I lived was ponds and Tator Creek. I spent many hours fishing Tator Creek catching 4-6 inch bullheads and all kinds of suckers and minnows. Dreaming of getin one of them big fish like the pictures I saw in the magazines. Now Tator Creek was probably a foot or two deep when it was up but to me it was the ocean. That was 54 years ago and the Adventures of Tator Creek are still with me. Fishing does build good memories that will last for a life time. Have a great day!

The man that influenced me the most was one of my mothers cousins I called Uncle Jake.He always had time to teach.I watched him milk cows,boil and scrape hogs,work on cars(saw him one day slide up under a car,unbolt a transmission,set it on his chest and then slide out with it)I was impressed!He taught me how to hunt and fish,he taught me right from wrong,sometimes with that belt, LOL. First man I ever saw use Ivory soap to catch catfish or get maggots out of a dead animal to catch bream with.There would be times we would be out bream fishing and they wouldn't be biting and he would take the tip of that old pole and shake it in the water and then a couple minutes later we would be catching fish.
Lots and Lots of memories...

I really don't know who to say other than my dad, he was my hero, and there was nothing he couldn't do, and I mean that. I use to hang out and talk with all the old people due to they knew a lot more than the kids did, so I guess I would have to say all the old people I use to talk with. Gulp, now I"m one of the old people, but still a teenager also.

The guy I always see looking at me in the mirror. He has lead me in wrong direction sometimes but also help me get r done. I guess he will be around as long as I'm around. LOL.
Growing up I was mostly on my own. My Dad did teach me how to take care of myself, fishing, run a trot line, camping, hunting, shooting, how to drive any and everything, and to watch my back. LOL, . by the time I was 10, family split up etc. and at 14, I've been completely on my own but I got back in touch with my Dad when he came back from overseas and we had some good times, even got to fish a few more times. I'm glad my kids got to met him. He went through some hard times but a good man to me.